Bed attachment



Oct. 3, 1939. B HUDQN 2,174,582

BED ATTACHMENT Filed July 29; 1938 I 30 25 INVENTOR. BL fl/VCf/E h uoo/vBY f % ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BED ATTACHMENT BlancheHudon, New York, N. Y.

Application July 29, '1938, Serial No. 221,876

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bed attachments and hasparticular reference to a storage receptacle and operating meanstherefor.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved receptacle andoperating means therefor of simple and practical construction adaptedfor attachment to a hospital bed or the like, wherein the receptacle isadapted to contain a bed pan and other articles of equipment for storagebeneath the bed when not in use, and wherein said receptacle may beadjusted by a patient from a normal position beneath the bed to aprojected position in which access may be had to the con tents of thereceptacle.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the followingdetailed description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bed frame showing the attachment ofthe present invention applied thereto. 1

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section 5 through the bed frame.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the attachment, partly in section, and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the attachment.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing the numerals 5and 6 indicate respectively the head and foot pieces of the bed framewhich are connected by the usual side rails I.

In accordance with the present invention, the receptacle, generallyindicated by the numeral 8,. adapted to contain various articles issuspended below the side rail 1 of the bed by means of a pair ofparallel tracks 9 extending transversely between said rails at pointsintermediate the ends thereof. These rails are provided at intervalswith small rollers l0 (Fig. 3) adapted to be engaged by flanges I lforming part of the receptacle 8 so as to support the latter in positionand reduce friction between the parts so that said receptacle may bereciprocated along the trackway 9 from its normal position beneath thebed to a projected position at one side thereof, as indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 1. The body of the receptacle 8 may be formed offoraminous material which is framed by the end members l2 and the bottomplate 13. The outer end of the receptacle may be provided with a hingeddoor [4 by means of which access may be had to the interior of thereceptacle without projecting the same from its normal position beneaththe bed.

Means are provided in connection with the receptacle 8 for propellingthe same from its normal to projected positions and vice versa, which 5means is so arranged as to be under the control of a patient lying inthe bed. Said means includes a small reversible electric motor [5suspended from. the tracks 9 adjacent one end thereof by means of abracket 16, and adapted for 10 connection to a source of electric energyby a conductor IT. A switch plate l8 may be mounted upon the head piece5 of the bed in a convenient position and includes a switch l9 connectedto the motor i5 by the conductor 20 for energizing 15 said motor. Asecond switch 2| is mounted upon the plate l8 which is utilized tocontrol the reversing of the motor IS. The motor shaft 22 is providedwith an extension 23 arranged below and longitudinally of the receptacle8 and projecting through bearings 24 and 25 suspending from the bottomE3 of said receptacle. The opening in the bearing 24 through which theshaft extends is provided with a thread 26 with which the threadedportion 21 of said shaft is adapted to engage when the latter is drivenby the motor. Normally, with the receptacle 8 in its retracted position,the inner extremity of the threaded portion 21 of the shaft (Fig. 4)does not extend into the threaded opening 26 of the bearing but is insuch position relative thereto that when the shaft 23 is rotated the twothreads 26 and 21 will be interengaged so that the bearing 24, andconsequently the receptacle 8, will move along the shaft when the latteris rotated to propel said receptacle outwardly toward its projectedposition. The interengagement of the threads 26, 21 is facilitated bymeans of a coil spring 28 interposed between the bearing 24 and a stop29 fixed on the shaft 22.

The intermediate portion of the shaft 23 containing the thread 21extends through a sleeve 30 one end of which abuts the bearing 24 whilethe other end extends through and is supported by the bearing 25, saidsleeve acting to form an enclosure for the threaded portion of theshaft. When the switches l9 and 2| are manipulated to drive the shaft 23from the motor in the direction to propel the receptacle outwardly fromits normal position, continued rotation of the shaft causes the bearings24 and 25 and the sleeve 30, together with the receptacle 8 to moveoutwardly along theshaft 23 until the bearing 24 whose thread is engagedwith the thread 21 of the shaft reaches the outer extremity of thelatter thread whereupon the receptacle will come to rest since saidthread 21 will no longer be engaged with the thread 26 of the bearing,as the latter will have passed outwardly beyond the thread of the shaft.Therefor any further rotation of the shaft 23 in the same direction willhave no effect upon the receptacle. In this projected position of thereceptacle the sleeve 30 has passed outwardly over the left end of theshaft 23 as viewed in Fig. 2, and the bearing 24 will come into contactwith and compress a coil spring 3| encircling the outer extremity ofsaid shaft and engaging the head 32 thereof. With the spring thuscompressed, a pressure will be exerted thereby upon the bearing 24 so asto assist the thread 26 of the latter to interengage with the outerextremity of the thread 21 when the direction of rotation of the shaft23 is reversed by an operation of the switch 2|. When this occurs, therotation of the shaft 23 in the reverse direction will cause thereceptacle 8 to be withdrawn toward its normal position by reason of theengagement of the threads 26 and 21, until the bearing 24 reaches theposition of Fig. 4, at which time said threads will again be disengagedso that the receptacle will be brought to rest in its normal position.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with the side rails of a bed, a trackway extendingbetween said rails, a receptacle suspended from said trackway forreciprocating movement from a normal position beneath said bed to aprojected position relative thereto, an operating shaft for saidreceptacle having a thread thereon, a threaded bearing on the receptaclethrough which said shaft extends, the threads of said bearing beingdisengaged from the thread of said shaft when the receptacle is in itsnormal and fully projected positions, means to engage the thread of theshaft with that of the bearing to initiate the movements of saidreceptacle when said shaft is rotated, a motor, means supporting themotor from the bedstead, and means connecting the motor with said shaftfor rotating the latter and for holding it against longitudinalmovement.

2. In combination with the side rails of a bed, a trackway extendingbetween said rails, a receptacle suspended from said trackway forreciprocating movement from a normal position beneath said bed to aprojected position relative thereto, an operating shaft for saidreceptacle having a thread thereon, a threaded bearing on the receptaclethrough which said shaft extends, the threads of said bearing beingdisengaged from the thread of said shaft when the receptacle is in itsnormal and fully projected positions, springs at opposite ends of saidshaft alternately exerting pressure upon said bearing as said receptacleis reciprocated from one position to another to engage the thread ofsaid bearing with that of said shaft, a reversible motor, meanssupporting the motor from the bedstead, and means connecting the motorwith said shaft for rotating the latter and for holding it againstlongitudinal movement.

3. In combination with the side rails of a bed, a trackway extendingbetween said rails, a receptacle suspended from said trackway forreciprocating movement from a normal position beneath said bed to aprojected position relative thereto, an operating shaft for saidreceptacle having a thread thereon, means holding said shaft againstlongitudinal movement, a threaded bearing on the receptacle throughwhich said shaft extends, the threads of said bearing being disengagedfrom the thread of said shaft when the receptacle is in its normal andfully projected positions, a second bearing carried by said receptacle,a sleeve supported by said bearing and extending therefrom to the firstnamed bearing in spaced encircling relation to the thread of said shaft,springs at opposite ends of said shaft alternately exerting pressureupon the first named bearing as said receptacle is reciprocated from oneposition to another to engage the thread of said bearing with that ofsaid shaft, and means to rotate said shaft in opposite directions. I

BLANCHE HUDON.

